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Monday, April 26, 2010

Goat Herder's Mac 'N' Cheese - Blue Monday

Mustard Field - Alvadore Oregon

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...If goat herder's actually made mac 'n' cheese this is what they'd eat. This creamy pasta is made from goat's milk and chevre with bits of hot pepper and tomato added for a splash of color. I've used small shells as a vehicle to capture the lovely sauce the macaroni is warmed in, but any pasta could be used. Those who love the crunch of a classic mac 'n' cheese will probably be disappointed with this version, but anyone who is willing to experiment and is looking for a new approach to an old favorite will be pleased. Goat's milk has a salty undertone and is a bit sweeter that cow's milk. While the milk is not popular in the United States, it is the milk of choice in other parts of the world. You should be able to find it in most large grocery chains or in the dairy section of health food stores. This version of mac 'n' cheese is assembled from fully cooked ingredients that are combined and warmed just before serving. The final dish is creamier than it's more common counterpart and it is wonderful as a side with plain grilled meat or poultry. It is very rich so keep serving portions slight smaller than you would normally serve. This is a lovely pasta and, fortunately, it is also easy to do. While I doubt you'll have to worry about leftovers, they will keep for several days if well-wrapped and refrigerated. I hope you'll give this a try. Here's the recipe.Goat Herder's Mac 'N' Cheese...from the kitchen of One Perfect BiteIngredients:3 cups goat's milk1/2 teaspoon kosher salt1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper2 tablespoons butter2 tablespoons all-purpose flourJuice of 1/2 lemon1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and very finely diced1 large Roma tomato, seed and very finely diced4 ounces crumbled goat cheese8 ounces cooked shells or other small pasta

Directions:1) Place goat's milk, salt and pepper in a 3-quart sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Simmer until reduced by one-third. Lower heat and keep warm.2) Combine butter and flour in a small skillet and whisk over moderate heat until a roux forms. Whisk into goat's milk. Bring mixture back to the simmer and cook until sauce thickens. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Stir in lemon juice, jalapeno, tomato, cheese and pasta and cook until cheese melts and pasta is warmed through. Again check for seasoning. Serve hot. Yield: 4 to 5 servings.

62 comments
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Hi, Mary..I am up at 1 am and not a bit sleepy. Usually a few minutes at the computer puts me in a sleepy mode...This Mac N Cheese sounds really good. I've never tasted goat milk..not too anixous but this recipe sounds so good.

I also read you got a virus using FB...sometimes I worry about that, too. So many people and so much going on. People I don't know always want to be friends but I am going to be a lot more careful accepting them. Thanks for the warning.xo bj

Years ago I bought goat's milk from some local people with goats - I won it at an auction. Would love to try your mac n cheese - looks and sounds delicious. Love the field of wild mustard greens - I wrote a post last year about foraging for them - they're delicious by themselves with garlic or in pasta. http://ciaochowlinda.blogspot.com/2009/04/foraging-for-wild-greens.html

Hulllo dear Mary, the pics of the fields full o blooms are lovely...thanxx for the happy sunshine ..and the Goats cheese n Mac ,sounds very interesting, our tiny idyllic state makes lods of goodies difficult to find but i sure wanna try this one...

Why the umbrellas? Because it has been rain, rain, raining on my head! Why not the umbrellas? Good question. I found them on another blog and they were "up for grabs". I followed the photo to flickr and, sure enough, the photographer (from Barcelona) wanted no credit and therefore did not leave his name just saying "enjoy" in Spanish. I love the photo and have made a copy to hang in a grouping of photos.

They are still up because, somehow, my post for this morning has still not posted. It says "scheduled to post at 11:04 a.m." but it's past that time and no post. First time for this! So, check back for "Potage Vert Pre" maybe later today, or.....

Well.. I've never tried it with goat's cheese, but homemade Mac-n-Cheese has always been a favorite of mine, ever since I was a little girl! Yours certainly looks good, and I'm sure it's delicious! Happy Blue Monday! ~tina

My goodness, Mary, this looks and sounds exquisite! I'm a huge mac 'n cheese fan and alway on the lookout for a new twist. Love the goats milk here and also the addition of the jalapeno. Wow, I can't wait to try this!!

Goat's milk is actually quite good. The first time I tasted it was over two decades ago.. fresh from the goat :)The mustard field looked so glorious, Mary. Thank you for sharing those lovely photographs.

Mary, when I was 5 and we moved in with my maternal grandmother, goat's milk is what we drank, and your post took me back to when we would go with my grandfather and take the goats to the "ball diamond" to feed.

These days as we grow older and the old metabolism slows, I try to stay away from carbs, but there is something about mac n cheese and especially anything that has goat cheese, I am willing to try. Thank you Mary.

Hi Mary, Goats milk does not sound tasty to me. I really dislike milk in general. However, I bet this is delicious. Creamy sounds good to me.I do love home made Mac and cheese. Forget the stuff in a box. Smile.

Dear Mary, I wanted to be sure you saw my response to your question regarding the "ball diamond".

I grew up on the east coast in coal country; my grandfather came to the US in 1909 to work in the coal camps which had company stores, company housing... and company baseball teams. The "ball diamond" was what used to be a company baseball field, a level playing area and sloping rising hillsides.

Overgrown and of course no longer used as a ball field by the time I came along in the 40's, my grandparents used it to take their goats to graze.

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